It took some convincing to get Virtus to stay outside the curtain while he changed. Something about assassins and having his guard down. What assassins? I just got here!

These clothes were not as nice as his Phoenix robe, but they were a major improvement on what Casper had given him. That outfit was chosen for the purpose of blending into a slum, not a high bar. This set was a fancy suit made of cotton, silk, and other fabrics. Took him an hour to get it on right. There was this thing Virtus called a Wescott and a cloth that when tied, just right, became some kind of a frilly tie.

Now dressed as a medieval noble, he made a beeline for the royal furnace. Virtus complained that a man of his station should not go near such a dirty place. This didn’t deter Jack in the slightest. He only lamented that he was slower than before. His master told Jack to collect a bunch of Fire. At that moment he knew whose opinion mattered.

Plus Jack thought it was liberating to be in control. Usually, when I push like this it ends with someone rearranging my face, but these people are a bunch of pushovers. He felt a pang when he thought of Casper. He was a good person and Jack would track him down when he got out of here.

The building with the furnace was a squat stone structure used for storage and workshops that managed the palace complex upkeep. They drew glances from the dirty, sweaty tradesman in equally dirty smocks that they passed on the way to the basement. It was worth it though because it was right in front of them, the furnace. Jack walked right up to it and tried to open the doors.

“OW!” He stuck his fingers in his mouth to cool off. That hurt, I thought I couldn’t get burned anymore. Maybe, it’s only when I touch hot things. A quick look around revealed a square room about thirty feet aside. On one side was a woodpile and on the other was a mass of coal. Several people in blackened smocks were hiding in a corner, obviously trying to not be seen.

Jack pointed to one person at random and asked. “How do you all open this door when it’s hot?”

The man gestured to a rack next to the furnace with a row of thick canvas gloves. “We use these to open it, my lord.”

Jack scowled at being treated as a noble. So he grabbed a pair at random, put them on, and opened the door. The heat from the furnace swept over the room in a great wave. The intensity forced everyone, but him to step back.

A flick of his wrists sent the gloves back on the shelf before he stepped inside. The flames started to spiral inside the vessel before streaming towards him. A cool sensation spread all over his body. A few minutes later he stepped out of the darkened metal vessel as a new man.

The others in the room shivered a bit as they saw his eyes. The inner rings of his sclera glowed a bright orange before slowly darkening on the outer edges. His hand that had been burned was completely fine and he held himself a little more firmly. Like he had been reforged in that blaze.

A smirk spread across his face when he saw Virtus’ surprise. The look on his face is priceless. He clapped his hands together like he was trying to get sand or dust off them. The resulting sound caught him by surprise. Did I just become stronger? There was only one way to find out. Jack lowered himself to the ground and performed the first push-up that this world had ever seen. The result was that he was about as strong as before coming to this world and his sense of touch, while heightened, was much more manageable.

“Well, Virtus it seems that we have been keeping this princess of yours waiting. Let’s head over and see what it is she expects from me.”

A quick backtrack out of the building brought them back to the main pathway. This time they turned towards the building at the end of the lane. It was an extravagant building in an Etruscan style. There were arches and stained glass everywhere. Marble and malachite were the least precious of the materials in Jack's sight. Some of the sights were so alien to him that he had no frame of reference. A drop of water that spun in place midair, a purple lamp that seemed to contain glowing water and other strange sights were on display everywhere.

A moment after entering they emerged into a courtyard with many colorful birds singing in a stand of familiar deciduous trees. Virtus gestured at a door on the other end. “The imperial princess is in there. The windows on either side look into this courtyard, so that’s how it got the name. If you will wait here while I will announce you.”

Virtus took the lead and knocked on the door in a rhythmic pattern that was obviously some kind of code. The door opened and another guardsman peered out. This man was older, with grizzled features and hard eyes. Out of nowhere, a horrible smell crashed against Jack's senses. He tried to hold his nose but that did nothing. The horrible sensation didn’t seem to be passing through his nose. What in the world is that horrible feeling? It’s like experiencing skunk scat with all of my senses at once. Only it’s so much worse.

The horrible feeling ebbed after a few seconds, but it left him feeling queasy. The guard in the room stepped back and allowed Virtus to step up.

“Now entering is the Adjudicator, Jack Hearth. Owner of the Phoenix and representative of the Sentinel in this world.” A wave from the man prompted Jack to enter the room.